Andy K. in San Francisco wrote:
>Last week I started to make a sourdough loaf, but the dough wouldn't form
>into a ball, no matter how many tablespoons of flour I added. It would
>adhire to the top of the pan and then look like a tornado, turning and
>turning, and not go anywhere. Yes it looked like the tornado in "Wizard of
>Oz."
I've made a number of breads which do not form balls. In general, I've found
that there is no issue - the bread comes out just fine (I rarely bake breads in
the ABM - I just use it as a special-purpose mixer). The only thing that I
need to be careful of is to put the wet, runny dough into a pan that will allow
the bread to hold its form - not an unbearable standard to meet. Typically,
for me, this is a relatively shallow baking pan - the bread I'm thinking of is
a focaccia.
Anyway if you really want a ball, you can add *a lot* of flour and, eventually,
you'll get one.
-steve